Dietary Monitoring Key to Successful Weight Loss

THURSDAY, Feb. 28, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The frequency of dietary self-monitoring is significantly associated with weight loss, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in Obesity.

Jean Harvey, Ph.D., R.D., from the University of Vermont in Burlington, and colleagues sought to quantify the time spent and the daily frequency of self-monitoring necessary for weight-loss success among participants in a 24-week, online, behavioral weight-control intervention. The 142 participants (90.8 percent female) were obese and recorded daily dietary intake using a web-based dietary analysis program.

The researchers found that on average, participants spent 23.2 minutes per day self-monitoring in month 1 and 14.6 minutes in month 6. Just under two-thirds (65.6 percent) were still recording minutes of self-monitoring by month 6, and among these participants, there were no significant differences in time spent based on weight loss. However, those losing either ≥5 percent or ≥10 percent weight logged in to the journal web page significantly more times per day compared with those who lost <5 percent.

“The frequency of self-monitoring is significantly related to weight loss, with the time needed to be successful diminishing during the intervention,” the authors write.

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